Feeling uncomfortable and self-conscious about your body can severely detract from the way you live your life. If you have concerns about the appearance of your breasts, you may be researching which treatments can achieve the best results to improve their size, shape, or firmness.
Although the most common breast procedures are a breast lift and breast implants (breast augmentation), knowing which one to choose to correct your concerns can be difficult. Our surgeons at Manchester Plastic Surgery will always give you honest and accurate advice about which treatment is best suited to give you the results you're dreaming of. At your consultation, we can use our 3D body imaging service to help you visualise your results and choose your ideal look, so you can determine which treatment will be best for you.
Breast Lift – What’s involved?
As we age, our breasts naturally lose their firmness and volume. This can also occur in younger women because of pregnancy, breastfeeding, or weight loss. No matter your age, it’s understandable that the loss of firmness or volume in your breasts can lead to a feeling of self-consciousness or low self-esteem – and a breast lift is a great way to address these concerns.
A breast lift is a stand-alone treatment for people who are looking to increase the firmness and volume of their breast or reduce sagging. It is a great way to restore the natural volume and shape of your breasts and improve your confidence and self-esteem. A breast lift can also be combined with a breast enlargement surgery (breast implants) if you would like to increase the cup size and fullness of your breasts.
The technique used for your breast lift will depend on the size and shape of your breasts, and your desired results – all of which will be discussed in your pre-operative consultation with your surgeon. Generally, the treatment takes between 1.5-3.5 hours under general anaesthetic and involves an anchor-shaped incision following the natural contour of the breast, or an incision around the nipple. The surgeon will remove the excess skin and move the nipple and areola to a higher position on the breast, placing stitches around the areola, in a vertical line extending forwards, and sometimes in the crease beneath the breast.
Breast Implants – What’s involved?
Feeling good about the way you look can help increase your happiness and get increased enjoyment from life. It’s important as a woman to feel confident in a bikini and comfortable in your skin. Many women link this confidence to their breasts as a strong symbol of their femininity, so if you’re concerned about the size of your breasts, breast implants are a great option to consider.
Typically, women who undergo breast augmentations decide to increase their breasts by one or two bra cup sizes. At Manchester Plastic Surgery, we always deliver natural-looking results which are proportionate to our patients’ natural body size, and we can advise you on which size we think would best suit you now and moving into the future as your body shape grows and changes.
Breast augmentation is a relatively short and straightforward treatment, usually taking one to two hours to complete. We will make a small incision beneath your breast crease or in rare cases, around the nipple. Breast implants will then be inserted into each breast beneath the tissue and skin, either directly behind the breast tissue or underneath your chest wall (pectoral) muscle. The various options available to you will be discussed in detail during your consultation to make sure you and your surgeon agree to the plan for your treatment.
When is a breast lift suitable?
Typically, a breast lift shows the best results for patients with small, sagging breasts. If you have larger breasts and would like a breast lift, it is important to be realistic about your expectations and discuss the results with your surgeon, as a breast lift will be effective, but the results may not be as long-lasting.
However, if your main concern with your breasts is their lack of firmness or sagging, but you still have sufficient tissue to create a breast shape and size you would be happy with, then a breast lift is a great option for you and there will be no need for an implant. This will usually be the case if you are younger with fuller breasts.
Alternatively, we often see patients who wish to reduce the size of their breasts as the weight is either uncomfortable or causing unnecessary sagging. In these cases, we suggest combining a breast lift with a breast reduction. This will give you a great amount of control over the size and shape of your breasts, improving their firmness and rounded appearance while reducing their size.
If your breasts have changed shape and are sagging as a result of pregnancy and/or breastfeeding, but you are planning to have more children, we would suggest postponing your breast lift as pregnancy is likely to stretch your breasts again and offset the results of the procedure.
When are breast implants suitable?
Breast implants are usually the most effective for women who feel self-conscious about the size of their breasts or have breasts which are different sizes and want a more uniform, lifted, and a full chest. In contrast to a breast lift, having implants is usually the best solution for women who are self-conscious about their cup size, rather than concerned with sagging or lack of volume.
There will be certain situations, depending on the positioning of your nipple, where you may need to combine your breast implants with a breast lift. This will usually be the case if your areola sits towards the bottom of your breast or you have experienced sagging because of pregnancy, weight loss, or breastfeeding.
Find out more
If you’re feeling self-conscious about any aspect of your breast’s appearance, our breast expert at Manchester Plastic Surgery, Mr James Murphy has years of experience in breast implants, lifts, and reductions and is available to answer any questions you may have about which treatment would be best for you to achieve your desired results. Feel free to contact us to discuss your options or complete the form below.
Dermal fillers are an increasingly popular procedure, not only for their anti-ageing benefits but also for their ability to enhance your natural beauty without requiring plastic surgery or time out for recovery. However, dermal fillers are only truly safe when carried out by a trained professional, and even then, as with all cosmetic treatments, they do carry an element of risk.
At Manchester Plastic Surgery, Mr Christopher Jones leads our dermal filler treatments. Before administering facial fillers, Mr Jones will arrange an initial consultation (at present via video call but then face-to-face before you go ahead with treatment). This is an opportunity for you to spend time discussing the areas you would like to target, your desired results, what’s involved in the treatment, and the potential risks. Although the risks are very low, it’s important to know there is a chance you can experience skin itching, bruising, swelling, or redness, all of which subside within a matter of days. Most patients who undergo facial fillers at Manchester Plastic Surgery do not experience these side-effects, but you need to be aware of them so that you can opt to go ahead with confidence.
